My conflicted expression puzzled Leyao, and she asked curiously, “What’s wrong?”
“I think I told my dad a lie I shouldn’t have. I told him I’m in Shenzhen now.”
“I heard that. Why don’t you tell him the truth?”
“Mistakes often happen in a split second. I didn’t think much about it before… Well, whatever. I’ll just tell him the truth now.”
As I spoke, I canceled the number-hiding function and dialed Baidie’s number again using Leyao’s phone.
Baidie seemed to have been waiting for my call, as he answered immediately. He asked me, “Why is this a Beijing number?”
“I’m using a friend’s phone.”
“Then where exactly are you now?”
I hesitated for a moment and said, “…Xitang. I’m in Xitang.”
“What are you doing there?”
“Just taking a break. Anyway, I don’t have a job right now.”
After a silence from Baidie, he said, “Xiaomi is beside me. Say something to her.”
“What… How come she’s with you?”
“I’m on a business trip in Suzhou. She treated me to dinner tonight.”
This time it was my turn to fall silent, and Baidie handed the phone to Mi Cai during my silence.
I seemed to hear Mi Cai’s breathing on the other end of the line, and my heart began to race.
“Are you in Xitang?”
Now that things had come to this, there was no need for me to hide anymore. I replied, “Yes, I’m in Xitang.”
“Is Leyao with you?”
I was momentarily stunned, quickly realizing why she had asked. Baidie had just questioned why I was using a Beijing number, so it was natural for Mi Cai, with her logical reasoning ability, to figure out that Leyao was with me now.
“Yes, she’s right beside me.”
Mi Cai was silent for a while.
“Thank you for treating my dad, but you don’t need to do this anymore.”
“…Why do you have to treat me like this?”
“No one knows better than you why I left Suzhou.”
“Was it because I got into Shang Weiran’s car and hurt you?”
“Wasn’t it?”
“That day, I didn’t take your feelings into account… But have you ever considered my feelings?”
“You, a rich and privileged young lady, a golden girl adored by everyone, does my presence or absence even make a difference to you?”
Mi Cai was crying on the other end of the line… I didn’t want to hear her heartbreaking sobs anymore, so I hung up.
…
I returned the phone to Leyao and lit a cigarette, feeling troubled. At this point, I was tired of communicating with Mi Cai, because I was afraid of falling for her again, only to end up heartbroken once more.
Leyao nudged me and asked, “Why do you look so worried?”
“Don’t ask.”
Leyao looked at me as if she wanted to say something else, but finally nodded and said, “Go to bed early and don’t think too much! No matter how much this world disappoints you, I, your friend, will always try to become the scenery you like and stay by your side!”
“Thank you!”
…
Feeling upset and restless, I returned to the guesthouse. To my surprise, Tongzi wasn’t playing games or watching a show. Instead, he was sitting on his bed, looking as if he was reminiscing about something, with a somewhat dazed expression.
When he saw me come in, he quickly snapped out of his daze and said, “Brother Zhao, you’re finally back!”
“What’s up? Do you have something to say?”
“Hmm, I’ve been thinking about this for a long time, and I still can’t figure it out. How could a nobody like you get to know a big star like Leyao?”
“We met before she became famous.”
Tongzi nodded, then continued, “I still find it unbelievable. I feel like I’m dreaming. I actually know a big star!”
I smiled and said, “Her current fame has made you subconsciously idolize her. In reality, her life was quite tough before she became famous.”
“Then tell me about her before she became famous!”
“Why are you so interested in her?”
“Uh… I’m her fan, isn’t it normal for me to be interested in her?… Bro Zhao, do you think you and Leyao will end up together someday? Just thinking about having a big star as my sister-in-law makes me feel so superior!”
This was a very boring question to me, so I impatiently asked in return, “Do you really think we will be together?”
“Well… It’s hard to say for sure, but I think she treats you really well. She seems to be very accommodating to you… There must be something going on between you two.”
I was momentarily stunned, recalling that Leyao and I had once had a one-night stand. Later, she got pregnant and claimed the child was mine, but I felt it was unlikely. If it really was mine, why didn’t she show me the ultrasound image as evidence back then?
Tongzi was still eagerly waiting for my response, so I finally told him, “We’re just friends who’ve known each other for many years. So don’t imagine things that aren’t there!”
“Yeah, how could such a goddess end up with you?… Bro Zhao, do you think that as she becomes more and more famous in the future, she might forget about you, a nobody?”
“Maybe.”
“I really hope that day never comes.”
I smiled and asked, “What does that have to do with you? Why do you care so much?”
“If she even forgets you, will she remember me?…”
“If you could have this kind of sense of crisis about other things too, I would be very pleased!”
Tongzi chuckled, but I didn’t give him a chance to say more. I picked up my dirty clothes and headed to the bathroom. I hadn’t washed my clothes since arriving in Xitang, which was quite sloppy of me.
After washing my clothes, I felt very tired, but I still couldn’t sleep that night. I admitted that Mi Cai’s crying on the phone had hurt me. I wanted to say something to her, but I didn’t want to lower myself too much. I always believed that a man should have principles when it comes to love. If you try too hard to please someone without any boundaries, when you lose them, you won’t only feel pain, but also humiliation.
…
After a sleepless night, I still got up early the next day because I had taken over the guesthouse. Although there was a cleaner responsible for the housekeeping, I still had to handle the front desk reception myself.
After eating some fried buns, I sat in front of the computer to check the accommodation records from the past year and planned to analyze them thoroughly before developing an improvement plan.
After more than an hour, the pile of data made me dizzy, so I finally looked up at the willow tree outside the door to relieve my eye fatigue.
Suddenly, a Ferrari 458 arrogantly appeared in my sight, and then I saw Weiran stepping out of the car.
We looked at each other face to face once again. Since I couldn’t stand this person at all, I frowned and asked, “How did you find me here?”
“Finding someone in Xitang isn’t that hard, right?”
I knew he wouldn’t come here without a reason. It was mostly likely related to Mi Cai. Just as I was about to ask him, he took off his jacket and revealed his muscular body, perfectly filling out the tight white tank top he was wearing. He gestured at me mockingly and said, “Didn’t you want to fight me last time? Now I’ve come to Xitang to give you that chance.”
“Are you out of your mind?”
Weiran walked toward me, his face dark and cold as if it had frozen over. He raised his hand and swung a punch at me. Instinctively, I leaned backward to dodge the punch, but his other hand quickly grabbed my coat, pulling me almost flush against him. His arm bent, and his elbow slammed into me.
In just two moves, I realized he must have received professional martial arts training, and I couldn’t dodge anymore. His elbow hit my jaw, causing it to crack open. The metallic taste of blood flowed from the corner of my mouth.
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